Pas de Deux
by Stellata
Summary: After confiding in Sasha, Payson chooses to take the cortisone and wins the National Championship. Will a budding relationship between them help or hinder Payson's dreams for gold?
1. Nationals 2011

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first work in this fandom. This story is an AU where Payson wins Nationals in season 1. The main relationship will be Payson/Sasha. FYI, I'm setting this in 2011, since the show isn't consistent about their timelines. The story will last from the National Championships in June 2011, through Worlds later that year, and eventually the Olympics in the summer of 2012.

* * *

"Ladies. Might you tell me where you're off to? In your pajamas?"

"We're – we're going to the gift shop, for magazines," Emily attempted to lie.

Sasha lifted a single eyebrow.

"Sasha, can I talk to you?" Payson blurted out suddenly. "Um, in private?"

Sasha looked between them, wondering if Payson was coming up with an excuse.

"Right then, we should go," Kaylie said quickly, trying to slip away. The other two girls turned to follow her.

"Don't stay out too late," Sasha called after them in warning. "Lauren… What's in the bag?"

They froze, and Emily finally spoke. "Kelly Parker's head?"

Payson looked up at Sasha, and was stunned to see him grin. "Carry on."

The other girls ran down the hallway, giggling, while Sasha re-opened his room door and nodded for Payson to come inside. She stepped inside and walked over to stand in the middle of the room, crossing her arms nervously.

Sasha smiled at the sight of her. Payson looked frankly adorable in her pajamas with flamingos all over them.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Payson took a deep breath. She'd been warring with herself about the cortisone. She couldn't talk to her parents, but maybe she could talk to Sasha. Payson was tired of hiding this.

"My back hurts," she confessed before she could think better of it. "I barely got through today, I don't know how I'm going to compete tomorrow."

Sasha looked at her, stunned. "Payson, I didn't… I should have noticed. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I know I need another cortisone shot to make it better," Payson said miserably. "I know my parents wouldn't let me. But I need to compete, Sasha, I need to _win –_ and I don't think I can do it without cortisone."

"Let me see," Sasha said gently, and she turned around, tugging up her pajama shirt. Sasha carefully felt her back, his heart sinking when she winced at the gentle touch. "Pain level, Payson."

"Ten," she admitted miserably.

Sasha sighed, then took her shoulders in his hands and turned her around. She was still holding her shirt up, and he got an eyeful of her slim stomach and the curve of her waist before he quickly drew his eyes away.

"I understand what you're going through. When I blew out my knee before Sydney, I used five cortisone shots in two months."

Payson's eyes widened.

"It got me through the Olympics, but after that, I was done. I couldn't compete with my knee like this. Cortisone can mask the pain, but it can't fix the underlying problem."

"Do you… do you think I should do it? I… I have some cortisone."

Sasha opened his mouth to ask where she'd gotten it, but decided he was better off not knowing.

"I think it's your choice, Payson. Not mine, and not your parents. But if you choose to use the cortisone tonight, then I don't want you using it again anytime soon. Twice in one month is more than enough."

"But the pain isn't going to go away…"

"Then let's make a deal," Sasha said gently. "I help you with the cortisone, then after you win Nationals, you'll have surgery to fix your herniated disc."

"Surgery?" Payson's eyes widened.

"It's a simple, non-invasive procedure," Sasha assured her. "You'd take a few weeks to rest afterwards, but after that…"

"I can't go weeks without training!"

"Payson," he said firmly. "I promise that I will make sure you are completely ready to compete – and win – at Worlds. And you'll be able to compete pain-free."

Payson took a deep breath, weighing her options. She couldn't shake the feeling that Sasha was right. She didn't want to be competing in pain like this anymore, or become reliant on cortisone.

"Alright. I'll do the surgery. Just, please… Don't tell my parents about the cortisone."

"I won't," Sasha promised, pushing away the guilt he felt at the thought of keeping this from her mother. "Bring me the cortisone, and we'll take care of it tonight."

Payson nodded, and hurried to her room to get it. When she returned a minute later, she was carrying a small toiletries bag. She went to the bed and unzipped it, handing the bottle and the needle to Sasha.

"Lie face-down on the bed," he instructed her as he studied the bottle. It was from a Dr. Russo – so she'd gotten it from Nicky. At least that meant it was legitimate, Sasha thought ruefully.

Payson carefully laid down, ignoring that traitorous part of her mind that joyfully reminded her - _I'm lying in Sasha's bed!_

"I'm just going to…" Sasha cleared his throat awkwardly as he pulled up the back of her pajama top, then rolled down the tops of her pajama pants to expose her lower spine.

His fingers were warm on her skin, and Payson buried her face in the covers, hoping he couldn't see her blushing.

Sasha carefully traced his fingers over her back, finding the exact place for the injection. Taking one of the hotel pens, he marked the proper place on her back with a dot. Then he took the bottle of cortisone and carefully filled the needle.

"Payson, I'm going to ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

She turned her head to the side and took a deep breath. "I'm sure, Sasha. Do it."

"Hold still. This will hurt."

"I know, I've done it before, remember?" Payson gritted out.

"Alright then, relax for me," Sasha said gently as he readied the needle. "Breathe, Payson. That's it." He slid the needle in, and carefully injected the cortisone. When he was done, he gently withdrew the needle and set it on his bedside table.

"All done," she heard Sasha's voice say. He laid a hand on her upper back, stroking soothingly.

Payson took a shaky breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sasha said softly. "Stay where you are for a minute, let the cortisone do its work."

"Mmm hmm," Payson agreed, closing her eyes. "That feels nice." She whispered.

Sasha moved his left hand to join his other one. Payson sighed happily as he gently massaged away the tension in her shoulders and upper back.

"You're going to sleep well tonight," Sasha told her. "And in the morning, Payson, you're going to go out there and win the gold."

She smiled at his words. Sasha carefully dug his fingers into the knots he found, and admired the strength of the muscles on her back. She was pretty as a picture, laying out on her front like this, with her shirt rucked up, her hair tousled, and her lips curved in a smile.

"Payson," Sasha said when he'd massaged away all the tension in her back. "You can move now."

"Do I have to?" Payson groaned, unwilling to open her eyes yet.

"I'm afraid so," Sasha chuckled, reaching out to brush her hair back behind her ear. "Careful now."

He helped her roll to her side, then sit up, and finally stand.

"I feel better already!"

"Cortisone is magical that way."

"And your back massage helped too," Payson said contentedly. "Thank you, Sasha."

"You worked really hard today, Payson," Sasha said seriously. "While you were in pain. You deserve to feel better than that."

Payson impulsively pressed herself against his chest and wrapped her arms snugly about his waist. Sasha curled one arm about her gently, absently stroking her hair with his other hand. Eventually she pulled back, trying to hide a yawn, and he chuckled.

"Good night, Payson," Sasha said once he'd walked her into the hallway.

"Good night, Sasha."

"Sweet dreams," he said softly, before closing the door between them.

Payson went back to her room, unable to stop smiling.

"There you are!" Emily sat upright in bed as she walked in. "Where have you been? You've been gone for an hour!"

"I was with Sasha," she explained. "I talked to him about the cortisone. He agreed to let me take it, and he helped me with the injection."

"Oh, good," Kaylie said with obvious relief. She came over and hugged Payson gently. "I think you made the right choice."

"So the pain is gone?" Lauren queried.

Payson nodded happily. "I'm tired," she said, feeling oddly content. "Going to sleep now."

She crawled into bed and closed her eyes, thinking of Sasha's strong hands on her back, and his words - _you're going to go out there and win the gold_ … She was asleep in moments.

* * *

There was a complete difference in Payson's performances on the first and second day. Sasha realized now that the tightness of her posture and unwavering focus had been her way of ignoring and masking her pain. But today she looked pleased to be here as well as determined. And the judges had taken notice. Her scores on vault and bars were higher than they'd been on the first day. She'd gone for her Amanar on vault, and received an incredible score of 15.7, while her bars routine had earned a 15.3.

Yesterday, Kelly Parker had won out by two tenths of a point, but today, she was even further behind Payson. As the third rotation began, Kelly pulled off a tremendous routine on the bars. It was the highest bars score yet, a 15.5, and Kelly looked extraordinarily relieved, before turning to smirk at Payson. She knew that Payson's score on beam had been rather low yesterday, and she had that and floor remaining, and those were the two lowest scoring events for everyone. Sasha was pleased that Payson remained calm in the face of Kelly's intimidation attempt.

"You're in striking distance. Give it all you've got, Payson, and you can win this."

"I know beam is my weakest event," she admitted quietly.

"Not today," Sasha said firmly, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. "Today, you're going to stick every move. I already know you can show them how strong you are. Keep smiling like that, and they'll see how beautiful you are as well."

Payson blushed and looked up at him shyly.

" _Next up, Payson Keeler on beam."_

"Go _fly_ , Payson," Sasha told her passionately, and she nodded and headed off.

After she saluted, Payson glanced over and saw Sasha watching her eagerly. She wanted to win this – and she wanted to do the best she'd ever done. Like he'd told her – she was supposed to fly.

Payson ran at the springboard, jumped hard off of it, and turned a tucked salto onto the beam, sticking it perfectly. She smiled, her confidence rising. Payson raised her arms and began to dance.

Sasha noticed a relaxed grace to her movements that he hadn't seen yesterday - or maybe ever. Payson was usually powerful but stiff on the beam, but today, her strength was mixed with a refined elegance that nobody had realized she was capable of.

Payson danced across the beam, connecting every leap and turn without pause. Sasha was struck dumb at the sight. She looked like a dancer – even after her hardest tumbling pass, she raised her arms serenely. Her smile was so damn beautiful that his heart ached to watch her.

"Wow," Lauren breathed beside him. "I didn't know she could move like that."

Payson's neck arched back elegantly as she flew into a perfect split leap. Payson landed on her toes, then turned, her shoulders settling comfortably as she ran to the other end of the beam, astonishingly light on her feet. She flew into a round-off and twisted off the beam, turning her two and a half twist cleanly in mid-air. Payson's feet barely made a sound as she touched the ground, her body straightening and arms extending gracefully.

"Yes!" Sasha shouted, punching the air in his excitement.

Payson turned around, startled and delighted by his uncharacteristic cry. She ran to him, and Sasha caught her in his arms, holding her close for a long, perfect moment.

"Beautiful," he whispered reverently. "Payson, that was incredible."

"How did you do that?" Kaylie asked, staring at Payson as Emily prepared to take the beam next.

"You said to fly - so I did," Payson told Sasha with a small, delighted smile.

The score went up, and Payson gasped. Her difficulty score was a 6.2, and they'd given her 15.7. That was… a _9.5 in execution?_ Nearby, Kelly Parker barely muffled a cry of horror. Payson had just earned the highest balance beam score of the meet. On the all-around board, Payson maintained her first place on the scoreboard.

"You have to win now!" Kaylie said excitedly, grabbing Payson in another hug.

"And Kelly Parker can suck it," Lauren decided, offering Payson a high-five. She was a little stunned that Payson had just smashed past her own beam score of 15.333, but she couldn't summon the energy to be mad about it, not when Payson was their best bet of taking down their hated rival.

The girls followed Sasha to their final event, floor.

"This is it, ladies," Sasha said, as they gathered around him. "This is where we take it home. Lauren, start your round off for the piked double back a step earlier, so you don't overstep the line again. Emily, keep your knees steady and stick your landings. Kaylie, give me _more_ \- more spirit, more power, more everything."

He turned to Payson last, his smile growing. "Payson. Fly like you did on the beam, and you'll be taking home the gold."

They turned to watch the alternating rotation. Kelly Parker was the last to go on the balance beam. She pulled out all the stops on the beam, but in the end, she only received a 15.4, five whole tenths below Payson's beam score. In the daily all-around, her final score was 61.1. She was currently in first place, but Sasha doubted that would be for long.

Emily started them off on floor, grinning as she danced and tumbled to her favored rock music. Sasha shook his head slightly. He had wanted her to try the classical music he'd selected, but after the catastrophe yesterday, he knew Emily had to return to her comfort zone to do well. She earned herself a 14.1, which she had every right to be proud of. Sasha let her know he approved before they cheered for Lauren on the way to her routine.

Lauren's floor routine had some similarities to her beam routine; she had a sultry dance style that the audience seemed to enjoy, and her tumbling was stronger than ever. Her 14.366 would definitely be enough to keep her near the top of the pack. Payson hugged her, glad for her friend's score, and Lauren smiled back appreciatively.

Kaylie surprised Sasha the most. She seemed brighter and more confident than she'd ever been before, and pushed herself harder and higher on her tumbling passes. When she finished, blowing a kiss to the audience, Sasha found himself nodding with approval. Kaylie had never seemed as driven as the other girls, but today, he had felt her passion for the sport.

The vault and beam rotation had gone before the bars and floor rotation. The last bars competitor had just been scored, and the arena went quiet. This was the final routine of the women's competition, and it would determine the all-around champion.

Sasha took her in a quick hug, and gave her a serious look. "This is yours," he said simply.

Payson nodded, her eyes shining. Then she went out to the mat and closed her eyes as she visualized her routine. _Fly,_ Sasha's voice sounded in her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, and raised her arms in salute.

Her music began, and Payson opened her eyes and ran. Her first pass was stuck perfectly, and she smiled as she danced about in the corner, her confidence growing. Soon she turned and covered the same ground again, landing her two and a half twist without a step.

Sasha grinned as he watched. Whatever rare mood had seized her on the beam was still there. Payson was always great to watch on floor, but now she _shone_. Her legs had never looked longer as she leapt, her arms had never risen so gracefully. She was power and grace combined. Sasha blinked away tears as she danced towards her final tumbling pass. She stuck the double Arabian cleanly, then turned and stuck her final pose with a smile.

The arena exploded in shouts and cheers. Sasha ran to greet her, looping an arm over her shoulders as before looking up at the scoreboard. Surely that was enough...

"Fantastic," Sasha said fervently. Payson leaned against him, curling an arm about his waist as she too looked upwards.

Finally, it came up. _14.966_. Her eyes widened, then she turned to the all-around board…

"Oh my god!" Payson cried, amazed as she saw herself in first place, with a 61.666.

The scoreboard went blank as both days' scores were added by the technicians. Finally, the scoreboard lit up, displaying the top twelve all-around gymnasts.

1\. Payson Keeler Total: 122.345

2\. Kelly Parker Total: 121.533

3\. Kristin Henneford Total: 118.025

4\. Kaylie Cruz Total: 116.774

5\. Lauren Tanner Total: 116.241

6\. Andrea Conway Total: 115.966

7\. Beth Atchinson Total: 115.698

8\. Michelle Demeritt Total: 114.757

9\. Tessa Grande Total: 114.200

10\. Nicole Lipari Total: 113.898

11\. Annie Dillon Total: 113.065

12\. Emily Kmetko Total: 112.900

Payson cried out excitedly. Sasha laughed with joy, then embraced her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around.

"Congratulations, Payson," he said proudly, before setting her down and looking to the other girls. "Good work, all of you."

"Oh my god," Emily gasped as she read her name at the bottom of the list, and Payson grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her into a hug with her and Sasha.

"We did it," Payson said breathlessly, her eyes shining as she beckoned Lauren and Kaylie over, including them in a group hug. "We all made it!"

Sasha watched them proudly. Not only had Payson pulled off the performance of her life, but she had lost her usually aloof exterior, and paid attention to her friends instead of only focusing on her own performances.

The other girls had been nervous, but Payson had brought them together and encouraged them. Kaylie and Lauren had performed better than Sasha had ever seen them before. Emily had pulled off a miracle and gotten into twelfth place, snagging the final spot on the National Team.

"Go on," Sasha urged them after the girls turned and practically tackled him to the ground in their excitement. "Your podium awaits. I'm so proud of all of you."

They raced to the podium, Kaylie and Lauren dragging Payson along with them, Emily still shaking her head in amazed disbelief as she followed her teammates.

Sasha watched in amazement as they hugged a final time and separated to take their place. Payson climbed to the top of the podium and undid her bun, shaking her long hair free as she beamed out at the audience.

"You did really well today," Payson said to Kelly as her rival climbed into second place.

"You too," Kelly gritted out, unable to disguise the bitterness in her voice, then turned to smile widely for the cameras.

"I loved your beam routine," Kristen Henneford said warmly on Payson's left.

"Thank you!" Payson smiled at the other girl.

Sasha took a moment to congratulate and soothe the egos of The Rock's remaining gymnasts who had not placed in the top twelve. Then he turned to watch the rest of the ceremony.

" _In fifth place, from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Center, Lauren Tanner!"_

Lauren waved to someone in the audience as she displayed her medal proudly.

" _In fourth place, from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Center, Kaylie Cruz!"_

Kaylie smiled prettily and blew a kiss to the audience. Somebody nearby whistled loudly, and when Sasha turned his head, he saw Carter Anderson standing on his feet, cheering louder than anyone else. Sasha's eyes narrowed for a moment before he turned back to the stage, and saw Kristin Henneford receiving the bronze medal.

" _In second place, from The Denver Elite Gymnastics Club, Kelly Parker!"_

Kelly waved to the crowd, but her smile was pasted on. Sasha barely resisted the urge to smirk at the girl's displeasure. Kelly Parker had spent too much time insulting and trying to intimidate his gymnasts for him to feel any sympathy for her.

" _And finally, our National Champion, from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Center…_ _ **Payson Keeler!"**_

Payson bent her head to accept the medal, quietly basking in the applause. Payson held the gold medal in her fingertips, her right hand pausing to settle over her heart, which was beating strong and steady. She looked out to find her family in the crowd, and beamed when she saw them. Becca was jumping up and down in excitement, while her mother was smiling and waving, and her father tried to wipe away his tears.

Sasha watched her, feeling prouder than he could ever remember feeling before. Payson was calm and poised, her smile proud but gentle. She was a champion, inside and out, and Sasha couldn't take his eyes off her... In this moment, he thought that Payson Keeler was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.


	2. Payson Keeler Day

A/N: A big thank you to Cher30, JCI, and Chermayne for your lovely reviews! Thanks to everyone who is reading this - I'm thrilled that people are still interested in this fandom when I'm so late to the party! This chapter is set in the time frame of 1x11, The Eleventh Hour, though I have borrowed some dialogue from season 2 as I'm introducing the ballet storyline earlier than in canon.

Note about the gymnastics: I am not a gymnastics expert, though I have tried to do some research. In this chapter, I talk about Payson's special named vault (mentioned in 1x1 Pilot but never shown!), which I have made a triple twisting yurchenko. I've read that some female gymnasts have practiced this vault, though it isn't yet named since it hasn't been landed in competition yet. The gymnastics moves I talk about and mention in this chapter were found online, via youtube videos, the official code of points, and a variety of internet articles. If anybody has corrections about the gymnastics elements that I'm using, please let me know, because I do want to be as accurate as possible!

* * *

"This is so humiliating," Lauren groaned. "You don't see Payson throwing candy!"

"Well, she is the National Champion," Emily pointed out.

"I don't know, our hats are kind of stylish," Kaylie joked.

"Ick, no. There's no such thing as firefighter chic," Lauren declared, rolling her eyes.

As the parade came to a close, the trio of girls in the back of the fire truck looked over to the leading car, which Payson was riding in with Nicky Russo. They seemed to be bent rather closely together, and Nicky was saying something in her ear.

"Do you think, Nicky and Payson?" Lauren said speculatively.

Payson bent over to open the door on her side of the car, and visibly winced, straightening up again. Kaylie frowned in worry, but Sasha was already there, hurrying to pull open the door and offer his hand to Payson.

"Sasha to the rescue," Emily quipped.

Lauren saw Nicky look slightly upset that he'd missed an opportunity to help Payson. She had already stepped out of the car, leaning against Sasha's side as he wrapped a protective arm about her waist and murmured something to her.

"Pain level," Sasha asked quietly as he walked with Payson towards the stage. He'd noticed her strained smile during the parade, and had cursed that he couldn't get to her side until now.

"Six," Payson hissed.

Sasha shook his head, angry with himself for letting it get this bad – it had only been four days since her last cortisone shot. "It shouldn't have worn off so fast. We need to move up the surgery."

Payson nodded, startling him. He knew she would have protested if she wasn't in bad pain. Sasha drew back as reporters approached, though he lingered by her side in case she needed him.

"How are you feeling, Payson?"

"I'm glad to be here," she answered, then led the way up to the stage.

Thankfully, the ceremony soon began.

"Congratulations to Coach Sasha Belov, for leading five of The Rock's gymnasts to the National Team."

Sasha managed a smile and a wave for the audience before looking back over to Payson, whose stance was stiff, though she was smiling like a champion.

"And to silver medalist, Nicky Russo. And especially to gold medal winning National Champion, Payson Keeler!" Mayor Nielsen smiled proudly at the young gymnasts. "Payson, on behalf of the city of Boulder, I'd like to present you with the Key to the City. I hereby declare today, Payson Keeler day!"

"Thank you very much," Payson said as she accepted the microphone. "I wouldn't be here today without the help of my family, my friends, and my amazing coach."

She looked over at Sasha, and he offered her a wan smile in thanks.

"I'm very proud of my teammates Kaylie Cruz, Lauren Tanner, and Emily Kmetko, who did fantastically at Nationals and are now on the National Team with me. Thank you all for this honor. I promise to do my best to bring home more gold medals to Boulder when we compete at the World Championships in November."

Several people cheered as she stepped back. Lauren, Kaylie and Emily were pleased that someone had finally mentioned their names.

When they were finally able to escape, Payson dropped her voice and murmured to her friends, "I'm so glad that's over."

"I wish I was training instead," Nicky sighed.

"Me too," Payson said, grinning at him.

Lauren rolled her eyes while smirking with amusement. "You two are peas in a pod."

"Never change, Payson," Emily laughed.

"It's too bad you have to get surgery," Nicky told Payson compassionately. "I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't train for weeks…"

Seeing Payson's face fall, Sasha stepped up to intervene. "Having to live with excruciating back pain is unacceptable. Payson, taking a little time off won't hurt, you'll be back to top form in no time." He assured her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Payson wanted to believe him, but Nicky's words had made her uneasy about the prospect of several weeks without gymnastics.

"At least you get some time off," Kaylie said cheerfully. "I'm kind of jealous."

"Really?" Payson shot her a look of disbelief. "I'd trade spots with you in a heartbeat. I won't be allowed to do anything after the surgery. Like Nicky said, I might go crazy!"

"Payson, we're on a schedule," MJ chided as she stepped up to them, twirling one of those creepy sticks with Payson's head pasted on the end. "We're going to the autograph signing, then to an interview with the local paper, and you have a few phone interviews tomorrow morning."

Payson's face fell dramatically. Right now, she was regretting convincing her parents to let her get an manager. Sasha had helped by explaining to the Keelers that since Payson was now the National Champion, she would need someone to help her manage the publicity. Payson knew that the larger struggle, getting her parents to accept endorsements, was going to be another battle with them, one she didn't look forward to.

"Tomorrow she'll be getting the surgery," Sasha told MJ firmly. "You'll have to push the phone interviews until the next day."

"You told me that was happening on Friday!"

"I'm moving it up," Sasha declared. "The sooner the better…"

"But I have a photoshoot scheduled for Thursday," MJ said, clearly irritated.

"You'll push that two weeks," he told her.

"Payson," her manager began.

"I need the surgery," Payson said frankly. "Unless you want photos of me in pain."

MJ sighed, hearing the point. "Alright, but you'll have to do phone interviews while you're resting."

"That's fine," Sasha allowed.

"I wasn't expecting you to be so heavily involved, Sasha," MJ said, rather annoyed.

Her ex raised an eyebrow. "Deal with it. I won't let you push Payson too hard."

Payson smiled up at him fondly, basking in the protective glance he sent her way, and for a moment, forgot all about her back pain.

"Wow, they really don't like each other." Lauren whistled softly.

"You know the story, right?" Emily murmured, glad to know something Lauren didn't. "They used to date, back before the Sydney Olympics, when she was his manager. Then Sasha caught her sleeping with Marty!"

"Seriously?" Kaylie growled. "Whose relationship _hasn't_ Marty ruined?"

She stomped off angrily, leaving Emily and Lauren to watch her go, Emily sighing as she realized that she'd just brought up a very sore topic.

* * *

Sasha came over to the Keeler house as soon as training was done the next day, anxious to see how Payson was doing after the surgery. She was lying in her bed, tucked under covers, reading a gymnastics magazine.

"Sasha," she greeted happily, setting down the magazine as he walked in.

"How do you feel?" Sasha asked urgently as he hurried over to her.

"Well, my back is pretty numb right now, the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet," Payson told him. "The doctors said I'll be a little sore for a week, but that the pain should go away after that."

"It had better," Sasha said darkly, pulling her desk chair over to her bed and sitting down.

"Or what, you'll beat up my doctors?" Payson teased, though she enjoyed his protective attitude.

"Hmm." Sasha's lips twitched up in amusement. "I wouldn't rule it out."

Payson laughed, and he smiled back at her, glad that she was in a good mood. He wished he could have been at the hospital when she had the procedure done, but it was Monday morning and he had to start everyone training again. Since the laser surgery was minimally invasive, Payson had been able to return home that very afternoon, though she was confined to bed rest for the next day to be safe.

"How's everything at The Rock?" Payson managed to convey excitement, worry, and impatience in those five words.

"It's not the same without you," Sasha told her warmly, before actually trying to answer her question. "I have the elites polishing up their routines for the first National Team Practice in a couple weeks."

Payson nodded, her face falling as she remembered that she would be missing that practice. Sasha saw this, and hurried to make her feel better.

"I've been thinking about your new routines for Worlds."

Her entire face lit up with excitement. "Tell me, please?"

"They're not done yet," Sasha cautioned her. "But on bars, I want you to upgrade your pak salto by adding a full twist. I also want you to learn a Comaneci release, and a Krasnyansha, a pike circle backwards to inverted pike support. We both know that your double layout dismount is superb, so I think you're ready to learn to add a full twist. Having a higher difficulty score will give you an edge in international competitions."

Payson's eyes closed as she visualized herself performing the moves he talked about. Sasha watched her fondly – he enjoyed this habit of hers. When she finished, Sasha continued.

"As for balance beam, you'll mount with a forward aerial walkover off the board."

Payson nodded and closed her eyes to imagine it. "Can I make my dismount a triple twist?"

"No," Sasha said firmly, surprising her enough that she opened her eyes to stare at him.

"But my two and a half won't cut it at Worlds! I know I can add an extra half twist, I'll need the F skill -"

"Actually, you won't, because you'll be doing a Double Arabian instead."

She stared at him in awe. "That's a G level skill!"

"You have the height and power for it," Sasha assured her. "I'm still designing the rest of your beam routine, but I know what vaults I want you doing. When your back is better, I'll consider letting you do your triple twist again."

"Really?" Payson said hopefully. "No more making me hold back and do the Amanar?"

"I hope you realize that no gymnast has ever had to say that to her coach before." Sasha told her drily.

Payson blushed prettily. Her ability to twist incredibly quickly and smoothly had led Marty Walsh to help her develop a yurchenko _triple twist_ , an insanely hard vault for most gymnasts that if she landed in an international competition, would be named after her. She had landed it consistently in practice before Sasha had arrived, but after her back troubles, Sasha had insisted that she only perform the two and a half twist, the Amanar, at Nationals.

"As for your second vault, I think you can improve your half-on to a Cheng."

"Really?" Payson beamed. "Then I'd have…"

"Two of the highest scoring vaults in the world, including one named after you."

"I think I'm dreaming," she murmured, and he chuckled and pinched her arm, making her yelp and swat at him. "Actually, in that case, you'd probably have said I could learn the Prodonuva."

"That's never happening," Sasha said resolutely. In his first week as her coach, Payson had come to him and asked if he would teach her the Produnuva. Sasha had given her the same answer Marty had done for years – _hell no._ It was an exceptionally dangerous vault, and Sasha would never let any of his gymnasts attempt it.

"Then this is real life," Payson smirked, having expected his answer. "I can't wait to do my signature vault again. I hope nobody else wants to debut it at Worlds, I'd love to have my name on it…"

"I don't think anyone's near your level at vaulting," Sasha said reassuringly.

Payson looked pleased to hear it. "It's so good to think about going to Worlds… The last five days have been so strange since I won Nationals. There's so much publicity, and all the interviews…"

"Publicity is a necessary evil, especially if you want to get sponsorships."

"I know, I know, but MJ is driving me up the wall!"

"Well, you're getting all of her crazy and none of the perks," Sasha retorted without thinking.

Payson's eyes widened, and then she began to giggle. "Are all those old stories true?"

"If you mean stories about my poor life choices as a young man, then yes, they're all true," Sasha said with a rueful shrug.

"I meant, that you and MJ were dating until she cheated on you with Marty and you broke up."

"Ah," he said wryly. "Succinct and completely accurate. But it did drive me to be my best in Sydney, where I paid Marty back in full by beating him for the all-around and winning four individual gold medals."

"I remember watching you compete on television. My babysitter had the biggest crush on Marty, and I made so much fun of her when he lost. I'd been telling her from the beginning that you were going to win."

Sasha chuckled fondly. "The first time I saw you compete in the Junior National Championship in '08, I knew you'd be winning gold in 2012."

"Really?"

"You've always been a champion, Payson," Sasha said seriously, reaching out on impulse to take her hand in his.

Their eyes met and held for a long moment. Sasha's intense faith in her left her momentarily speechless.

"What about floor?" Payson asked at last.

"We're going to completely reinvent your routine. Since you can't do high impact training for three weeks, you'll be going to ballet classes instead."

"Ballet?" Payson looked horrified. "But I'm a gymnast, not a dancer!"

"Why can't you be both?"

"I'm just… I'm not like that," Payson pulled a face. "I'm not built for artistic dance stuff. I'm not skinny or long-legged or beautiful like a ballerina!"

"Didn't we already do this dance?" Sasha sighed. "I thought you knew you were beautiful by now, Payson."

She flushed as he looked at her seriously. Sasha was still holding her hand, and she wondered if he realized that. She wasn't going to point it out and have him pull away – she felt cared for and protected with her hand slipped into his larger one.

"Alright, I'm pretty enough, I guess," Payson rolled her eyes. "But I'm a good gymnast because I'm strong, Sasha, not because I'm graceful."

"You are strong, but you also have a natural grace, Payson. That's why you won Nationals," Sasha said, unable to keep a trace of impatience from his voice. "Your final two routines are what cinched it for you. You had a 9.7 execution score on beam, do you even know how rare that is?"

Before she could reply, he pushed on.

" _Very_ ," Sasha said ardently. "Whatever you were thinking or feeling, Payson, you tapped into something inside you. I'd _never_ seen you like that before – all your fear vanished, and you flew and danced across that beam. That grace, it's part of you. I want you to learn to tap into it all the time."

"Payson! Lunch!" Kim called from the hallway.

Sasha sat up, startled into dropping her hand. Payson felt the loss keenly, but said nothing as her mother entered the room and smiled at them.

"Sasha, would you like to stay for soup and sandwiches? We'd appreciate the company… Mark's already back Minnesota, and Becca's still at her friend Avery's house."

"That sounds delicious, thank you, Kim," Sasha said warmly.

The grilled cheese and tomato soup made for a simple but delicious dinner. Kim had made the tomato soup from scratch, and Sasha was able to tell her honestly that it was the best meal he'd had since coming to Boulder. The two Keeler women exchanged astonished glances, then nodded to each other in agreement - Sasha Belov clearly needed their help in feeding himself.

"Kim, there's something I'd like Payson to work on over the next few weeks, before she's able to get back into serious training."

"What's that?"

"I think she could benefit from attending a ballet class. I've already found one nearby…"

"I won't go," Payson said defiantly.

"Payson!" Kim admonished.

"I'm not a dancer, mom," Payson said fiercely.

Sasha quietly excused himself, hoping that Kim might be able to convince Payson where he couldn't. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he returned to the dining room, pausing in the hallway to listen to their conversation.

"You've always been an amazing athlete…"

"Exactly! I'm an athlete, not a princess." Payson said, her voice full of both impatience and sadness. "When I was seven, I wanted to be in the Great River Mall Icescapade show because I really, r _eally_ wanted to be the princess."

"I don't remember that." Kim said with a frown.

"Yeah, because I got cast as the prince!"

Sasha winced in sympathy.

"Oh, that I remember. I made you that great costume, with the blue velvet…"

"That's exactly the point, mom."

"What?"

"I got cast as the prince because the director said I was built more like a boy." Payson looked miserable, and Sasha wanted badly to knock that director over the head for harming Payson's self-esteem. Even if it was true then, it certainly wasn't now – how didn't she see that?

"And then later I heard all the girls laughing at me for even thinking I was graceful enough or pretty enough to ever, ever be a princess."

"Oh, Pay, why didn't you tell me?" Kim sighed.

"Because I knew you'd just tell me that the prince was the cooler part, instead of what I really wanted to hear."

"Which was?"

"That they were all wrong, and I would have been the most beautiful princess in the world."

"And that's why you don't want to try ballet? You don't think you're graceful enough to be a more artistic gymnast?"

"I'm scared, mom."

"It's okay! It's okay to be scared of trying something new. But if you don't try at all, you can become scared of your entire life. And one more thing. I think you would have made the most beautiful princess in the world. And I still do."

Sasha smiled as Payson embraced her mother. He walked back into the room, making sure to step on the annoying creaky board he'd discovered earlier, so that they knew he was coming. Hearing his footsteps, Payson carefully pulled back from her mother, surreptitiously wiping away a tear.

"Can I help with the dishes?" Sasha offered.

"I won't say no to that," Kim grinned at him, looking a little misty-eyed herself.

"You cooked, mom, let us take care of it."

"Alright," Kim smiled at them. "I'll just go powder my nose, then."

Payson moved over to the sink and poured some liquid dish soap into the soup pot.

"You're feeling well enough for this?" Sasha checked in as he stepped up next to her.

"To wash dishes?" Payson was incredulous.

"You did have surgery this morning, Payson. I'm entitled to worry. I'll wash, you dry," Sasha decided, taking her shoulders and moving her over so he could take her spot at the sink.

Payson rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile slightly. She'd always preferred drying.

"About that ballet class," Sasha began.

"Sasha," she sighed. "I know what ballerinas look like. I'm just… not that type of girl."

"So you're not a princess, Payson."

She looked at him, startled and somewhat hurt.

"You're a _queen_ ," Sasha continued, capturing her eyes in his intense gaze. "Princesses, like typical ballerinas, are slim girls like Kaylie. They're the ones with 'boyish' figures. Payson, you're already a woman, with a woman's… body," he finished with a slight flush.

Her lips pulled up in a small smile at his embarrassment.

"Payson, I know that you can be an incredible dancer, if you just give me a chance to show you. What do you have to lose?"

Payson took a deep breath, remembering her mother's words. "I'll try it."

Sasha grinned at her. "You won't regret it."

"We'll see about that," Payson said daringly.


	3. At the Ballet

Thank you everyone for your tremendous support for this story! I'm very glad that it's being enjoyed. Shout out to Chermayne, Cher30, so-romantical, icings, Esm3rald, JCI, Bethany and brookletp for your lovely reviews!

A/N: A few notes on the changes to canon... Since Payson's only out of the gym for a couple days, Kim doesn't step down as The Rock's manager, and Summer does not take over her job. Since this chapter focuses on the storyline of Payson becoming an artistic gymnast, it includes some ideas and a bit of dialogue taken from season 2.

Response to a question: Yes, on the show Kaylie beat Kelly and won Nationals. I found this rather unrealistic given Kaylie's lower difficulty scores compared to Payson, and the fact that Payson and Kelly's scores were supposed to be relatively comparable to each other. Remember that in the invitational meet at the Rock, Payson beat Kelly, but Kaylie didn't come close to their scores. (In case anyone forgot the top 5 order, it was: Payson, Kelly, Kristin, Kaylie, Lauren) If you need a reason, I imagine that since Payson is still around, Kaylie didn't have the same impetus to perform as well.

* * *

When Kim and Becca came home on Friday evening, they found Payson in her room, frantically combing through her closet.

"What are you doing?" Becca asked curiously as she sat down on her sister's bed and looked at the pile of dresses on the floor. "Burning all your clothes?"

"I need something nice to wear," Payson groaned.

"Why?"

"I'm going to the ballet." She answered, blushing. Seeing how flustered her sister was, Becca put the clues together.

"With a _guy?"_

"With Sasha," Kim said, stepping into the doorway. "He cleared it with me before he asked you," she told Payson with a soft smile. "I think it's a great idea. I'm making dinner, so could you help your sister find a formal dress, Becca?"

"Sure," Becca smirked. She didn't get Payson to dress up often, but this was clearly the perfect occasion. "So how much do you want to impress Sasha?"

Payson flushed. "It's not for Sasha, it's… it's the ballet."

"Uh huh," Becca smirked. She knew better than that. Payson didn't have a poster of Sasha Belov on her wall just because he was an Olympic Champion. "When is he coming?"

"Seven thirty." They both looked at the clock on the wall, and realized there was an hour and a half until then.

"I'll find your dress while you shower," Becca offered.

Payson hurried off to bathe, and when she came back, Becca had laid out a dress, shoes, and a few accessories. It was a black dress that Payson had never worn, but vaguely recalled her mom buying for her last year.

"It's a little snug." Payson discovered as she tugged it down over her hips. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't as loose as it had been last year.

"It's perfect," Becca beamed, clapping her hands.

* * *

When the clock chimed seven thirty and there was a knock on the door, Kim went to answer it. Payson waited in the living room, nervously checking her appearance again, re-doing the black flower hairclips to keep her hair back from her face, and smoothing her hands down the skirt of her dress. She turned around as Sasha walked into the room, parted her lips to speak, but nothing came out. He looked incredibly handsome in a light blue suit.

Sasha stopped still as Payson turned around. She was beyond beautiful. Her hair framed her face in long golden waves, her light green eyes were framed by her long lashes, her lips a dark, sinful red. Her black dress clung to her chest, framing her curves, before flaring out at the waist. Sasha swallowed hard before he could speak, mindful that Kim was in the room.

"Payson Keeler, your carriage awaits."

She smiled shyly at him, and when he held out his arm, she took it. They said goodbye to Kim and Becca at the door, then he walked Payson to his sedan, opening the door for her to get in. Payson tried valiantly not to blush at his chivalry. She'd never been on a date, but when she imagined it, this was how it always started.

* * *

They arrived at the theater just in time to run into Jayden out by the steps. Sasha introduced them, but Jayden soon had to hurry off to prepare for the performance.

"What is she, the stage manager?" Payson asked curiously once Jayden had finished climbing the stairs.

Sasha looked at Payson, willing himself to hide his exasperation. How come she couldn't see that fuller bodied women could be graceful dancers? He chose to avoid answering her question for now.

"What do you say we go inside, down a couple of sparkling ciders out of plastic champagne flutes, and enjoy the ballet?"

"I'd say yes," Payson said with a smile. Part of her had been hesitant about seeing a ballet, but considering that she got to spend her evening with Sasha, she couldn't complain too much.

Sasha held out his arm and Payson took it, smiling shyly up at him. They stopped in the lobby, and Sasha got them two glasses of cider. It was bubbly and delicious, and Sasha didn't even mind that it was non-alcoholic.

As they walked into the theater and past a large group of people, Sasha reached out to keep her close. He caught her hand on instinct, his right palm curling about hers, and for a moment, they both stopped walking, stunned by the sensation. His hand was large and calloused, and fit perfectly around hers. The strong but gentle touch made Payson feel safe and incredibly cared for.

It took him another moment to lead her down to their row, and as they found the seats, Sasha had no more reason to hold onto her. But as he let her hand go, he felt the loss keenly, but he reminded himself that there had been no reason to keep holding on. After all, he'd only taken it so as not to lose her in the crowd.

They both studied their programs without really seeing them, Payson willing the blush on her cheeks to die down. When the ballet started, she felt utterly relieved. Sasha enjoyed the show, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from looking back at Payson every few moments.

For all her protests, she was clearly entranced by the performance. Her eyes were wide, her smile even wider, and she leaned forward as if wanting to join in. She was unfairly gorgeous, and it was all he could do to tear his gaze away and watch Jayden dancing across the stage.

"The swan must die to be reborn as a woman," Sasha murmured for only Payson to hear. "It symbolizes the courage it takes to let go of who we think we are and become who we are meant to be."

"She's so beautiful and strong," Payson said softly, admiring the dancer. "Her extensions are endless."

"Do you recognize her?"

The young gymnast studied the ballerina, and a moment later, came to the realization. "That's your friend, that's Jayden!"

"She's pretty good, huh?"

"She's amazing! I can't believe you let me think she was a stagehand."

"Well, looks can be deceiving."

* * *

As they walked back to the car, Jayden's words were still running through her mind.

 _Grace and elegance, they come from inside. If you feel it, others will see it. And it's not easy. You really have to expose yourself. There's nothing more beautiful, or powerful, than the moment you make that connection._

"Sasha," Payson said quietly. "Do you really think I have it inside me? The grace and elegance that Jayden has?"

He paused before unlocking the car, to turn and look at her seriously.

"I know you do," Sasha declared. "You may not see it, Payson, but you have a natural grace. When you're performing, you focus so much on your precision and power that you don't see it. I can teach you to use both."

"Then I'll try," Payson promised.

"That's all I ask," Sasha smiled.

She beamed back up at him.

"You look very beautiful tonight." The words slipped out before he could help himself.

He was looking at her so intently as he said it, that Payson couldn't help but shiver.

"Are you cold?"

Payson nodded silently, so Sasha immediately shrugged off his suit jacket and wrapped it over her shoulders. Tugging the jacket forward to secure it on her, he ended up bending closer to her, until their faces were just inches apart.

Her lips parted, as she intended to thank him. But then their eyes met, and they both froze. Payson's heart was pounding so loudly she feared he might be able to hear it. Sasha ached to cross those few inches and feel just how soft her lips were...

Sasha pulled back immediately, stunned by his sudden desire to kiss her. He'd been noticing Payson's beauty more often as of late, but until now, he hadn't come close to _doing_ anything about it. Wracked with sudden guilt, he looked away.

"It's getting late." His voice was abrupt, almost harsh given what had come before. "I should get you home to your parents."

At those words, the spell was broken. They stepped back at once, both heading for their own sides of the car.

Payson's heart was still racing. For a moment, she had thought that they might… That Sasha might… No, that was ridiculous. She was projecting her own silly crush onto him. He'd been a perfect gentleman, and was only trying to keep her from freezing.

Sasha's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He took a deep breath, trying to relax. He'd convinced himself that this was a suitable field trip for a coach to take his underage gymnast to, but it had ended up feeling like a date, nearly complete with a first kiss. What was he _thinking?_

As he drove them back to Boulder, Payson turned on the radio and found a classical station to listen to. The soothing strains helped him relax a little. When he chanced a glance over at Payson, she was looking out the window, smiling softly. He felt intensely relieved that she seemed clueless as to his incredibly inappropriate feelings.

When they arrived at the Keeler home, Sasha walked her to the door to say goodnight.

"Thank you for coming with me. I had a lovely evening," he told her with a soft smile.

Payson's answering smile seemed blinding to him – caught in it, Sasha could see little else around him.

"Thank you for taking me," Payson said sincerely. "When can I start ballet class?"

"Is tomorrow soon enough?"

* * *

Payson couldn't believe she'd ever thought that dancing was far less demanding than gymnastics. It was different, but her body was aching from holding all the different positions that Miss Viola had drilled into her!

She wandered into Sasha's office on Saturday afternoon, her legs were moving slowly and feeling far too heavy.

"Payson!" Sasha brightened as he looked up and saw her. "How was ballet?"

"It was exhausting," she admitted as she sank into the chair next to his. Sasha stood up, looking concerned as he came over to her.

"Is your back alright?"

"My disc hasn't hurt at all," she assured him. "But I'm sore everywhere else."

"Where?"

She perked up slightly, remembering the massage he'd given her before the second day of Nationals.

"Well, my shoulders," Payson said hopefully, trying to let her body sag morosely.

Sasha quirked up an eyebrow, knowing exactly what she was doing. But her attempt to hide that hopeful little grin was too cute, he couldn't resist.

"I suppose I have no choice but to help." Sasha stepped up behind her and clasped her shoulders in her hands, squeezing at her taut muscles.

"Oh," Payson gasped. His hands trailed down, pushing his fingers cleverly between her shoulder blades, and she pushed back instinctively into his touch. "Right _there_ , _mmm_ …"

Her needy, breathless tone sent a jolt of heat through him. Sasha rubbed his thumbs up the base of her neck, and she let out a short, sharp moan. Payson was young, he reminded himself sternly, she had no idea how provocative her noises might seem. When Sasha finally pulled his hands away, Payson was more relaxed than she could ever remember being.

"I feel like a puddle," she sighed happily.

"Just what the doctor ordered," Sasha chuckled. "Now, you're not back to conditioning until Wednesday, but you're welcome to stay and help me with the girls."

"I'll stay and help," Payson volunteered immediately.

Kim stepped into the office and smiled when she saw Payson there.

"How was your dance lesson?"

"Okay," Payson said brightly. There was a look of tired contentment on Payson's face that her mother thought suited her well.

"I think this is going to be good for her," Kim said thoughtfully after Payson waved and headed down to the floor to see her friends.

"What can I say," Sasha said with a roguish smile. "I _am_ a genius."

* * *

After her second ballet class on Tuesday morning, Payson showed up at the Rock again. She watched as Lauren ran her vault, sticking the Tsukuhara perfectly. Payson wished she could turn her triple twist right now.

"Payson!" Becca called from the beam. "Want to see my new dismount?"

"I'd love to," Payson answered, glad for the distraction.

She watched as her sister walked to the end of the beam, turned around, and took a deep breath. Then she ran across the beam, turned a round-off back handspring, and then flipped off the end in a stretched salto with a one and a half twist.

Becca landed firmly on her feet, and raised her arms triumphantly.

"Oh my god!" Payson cried, running to her sister's side and hugging her tightly. "That was amazing, Becca!"

"Thanks," Becca grinned.

"Your form is incredible," Payson gushed.

Becca preened happily. "Pay, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Avery wants to have her birthday party at the Rock," Becca said hopefully. "On Sunday afternoon, when there's no training. Can you ask Sasha for permission?"

"Why can't you ask him?"

"Please, you're obviously his favorite," Becca grinned at her. Payson flushed slightly at the thought.

"I'll ask him," Payson agreed.

She looked around and saw Sasha walking up the stairs. Payson hurried after him and waved to him as she walked into the office.

Sasha smiled as he saw her. "How was your second class?"

She was tempted to say fine and let it go, but she didn't want to keep things from Sasha.

"I'm the worst in the class, and all the other girls are years younger than me. It's embarrassing."

"That can't be easy," Sasha said understandingly. "Did you know my mother was a ballet dancer?"

"I didn't," Payson said with a smile.

"She was an amazing dancer," Sasha said wistfully. "I'd go to visit her sometimes, and she'd walk me through some moves. I was hopeless at first, and all the girls my age teased me endlessly because they were so far ahead of me. But I kept at it, and when I learned to incorporate some of the grace my mother taught me, I was able to win my gold on floor as well as the bars."

Payson began to smile. "You dance ballet?"

"I could be better," he acknowledged. "Payson, keep at it, and you'll get it in no time."

"I'll try," she promised. "Oh, I wanted to ask you something…"

When Payson walked out of the office and gave Becca two thumbs up, Becca grinned. She knew that was going to work.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Payson hissed as Sasha walked into her ballet class and joined her at the barre.

"I'm here to learn, just like you," Sasha replied.

"No talking!" Miss Viola snapped as she walked by, tapping Sasha's arm with her stick.

Sasha hurriedly adjusted his pose, then craned his neck back to wink at Payson. She couldn't seem to stop smiling. Sasha was skipping out on training everyone else just to be here for her.

It was the first time that Miss Viola didn't spending the entire class picking on Payson's form – now she had Sasha to pick on instead. To Payson's surprise, she was even asked to demonstrate a few things for Sasha to imitate.

"What do you think?" Sasha asked when the class was done. "Did I improve?"

"Some," Payson said with a giggle.

He laughed as well, then lifted his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Payson's eyes fell on his exposed chest, and for a moment, forgot how to breathe.

"Want a lift to the Rock?" Sasha offered, pulling his shirt back down.

"Yes, thanks," Payson said quickly, looking away from him.

* * *

When they walked into the Rock together, Sasha decided to give her a piece of good news.

"It's been a week since your surgery, so you're welcome to start some light conditioning this afternoon."

Payson squealed with excitement and ran to the girl's locker room to change out of her ballet clothes and into basic work-out gear. When she came out, Tara was waiting for her by the track.

"Are you ready?" Her favorite assistant coach asked with a smile.

"Absolutely," Payson said eagerly.

Payson finished her first set only feeling slightly breathless, but Tara insisted she take a break, so she sprawled out on a nearby mat.

"Hey," Emily greeted, offering her a cup of water.

"Thanks," Payson said gratefully as she drank it down in a single gulp.

"I'm glad you're back," Emily said quietly, glancing across the gym. "This last week has been crazy. Kaylie and Lauren won't stop fighting."

"Why?"

"First the Carter thing, and now Nationals. Kaylie's upset that she's only fourth, and Lauren can't stop bringing up how close she came to beating Kaylie."

"We're all on the National team, shouldn't that be enough for them?" Payson rolled her eyes. "You can handle them, Emily. You're the team captain."

"Well…" Emily said slowly. "I was for Nationals, but I know I was really focused on myself. You're the one who held us together. I don't really want to be Captain - I'd rather it was you."

"Thank you," Payson said, feeling flattered.

* * *

"More height, Becca!" Payson shouted as her sister bounced on the trampoline, turning a front layout in the air. "You'll need it if you want to learn to add a twist!"

Sasha watched as Becca tried to do as her older sister recommended. Kim and Payson were helping chaperone Becca's best friend's party, and Sasha had popped in, ostensibly to steal some cake.

"Becca really takes after you."

"Really? We're so different."

"She looks up to you, it's obvious. She wants to be just like you."

"If she keeps training as hard as she has been lately, she will be," Payson said with a smile. "And you know, she'll turn sixteen by the end of 2012. Maybe we'll have two Keelers on the team."

"It's certainly possible, especially with the way you've been helping her train."

"Oh, it's nothing," Payson deflected, but Sasha shook his head.

"You're a fantastic coach, Payson. When you're done with your career, I'd offer you a spot coaching here in a second."

"You offering me a job, Belov?"

"Only if you win at least two gold medals in London," Sasha added cheekily.

"What do you take me for?" Payson gasped, nudging him in the side. "Only two? I'm going to get at _least_ four to match you. And then I'll have a lot more job offers than just yours."

"Well, remember who made the first one," Sasha told her affectionately.

"You're welcome to try and convince me," Payson shrugged.

He leaned in close to whisper in her ear before he thought better of it. "I can be _very_ persuasive."

Payson flushed, heat pooling in her belly. Sasha drew back, ready to smack himself. He couldn't talk to her like that.

"They seem busy," he said, his voice casual once more. "Would you like to work on the floor? Just dance moves, but we should start developing your new choreography."

"Sure," Payson said, trying to get over the dazed feeling she'd gotten from the way he'd spoken into her ear.

She demonstrated a few of the basic moves she'd learned after a week of ballet.

"I think you can do those turns with your legs higher." Sasha mused.

"How much higher?"

Sasha grinned. "All the way up."

Payson practiced her splits first before taking Sasha's hand and letting him pull her up. She stood on her left foot and raised her right in the air, stretching it as high as she could while keeping her balance.

"Good," Sasha said, and moved over to her, one hand on her left hip, the other on her right thigh to help her brace it.

Payson drew in a shaky breath. His hand felt hot on her bare skin. He pushed her gently, urging her leg higher until it was straight in the air.

"Now let's try a spin."

Payson carefully pushed up on her toes, tightened her core, and twisted. She turned almost all the way around once before her body nearly collapsed and she let her leg drop. Sasha caught her by the waist, keeping her upright before her right foot even touched the ground.

"You've almost got it," he said encouragingly. "Try again."

This time, she raised her leg nearly all the way on her own, and Sasha's fingers barely had to brush against her skin. Sasha carefully stepped back, Payson breathed calmly, and spun again, this time keeping her balance perfectly for the full turn.

"I think we can turn this into a double turn. Your balance is amazing."

She thanked him, and begged for a moment to get a drink of water. Sasha watched her go, inwardly chiding himself. As a coach, he was used to helping his gymnasts by touching and pushing their bodies… But with Payson, it felt different. He felt like a pervert – she was only seventeen, and she trusted him to be helping her.

When Payson returned, Sasha had her move on to jumps and leaps, things she should be doing without him needing to touch her. Her sissonne was already mightily improved, and most of all, her arms moved in natural, graceful ways that they hadn't before.

"That's excellent. You're getting your extensions down. Jayden would approve. How's your back?"

"It's perfect," Payson assured him. "I mean it. There's no pain, Sasha! For the first time in ages, there's no pain at all!"

"I'm very glad to hear it," he said warmly.

"Thank you for convincing me to have the surgery. You know, I'm actually enjoying dancing." Payson raised a finger quickly. "But don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Sasha swore. "Now, since I let your sister's friend have her party here, free of charge, I'd like to ask you a favor."

"Alright," Payson nodded.

"I need you to tell me what you know about Carter Anderson."

Payson's heart sank. "Well, he's a rings specialist..."

"Don't play dumb, Payson," Sasha said knowingly. "I need to know the full story. I'm fairly sure it involves Lauren, and perhaps Kaylie as well."

"Will you promise not to kick out Kaylie and Lauren?"

Sasha sighed. "I promise."

With a relieved little smile, Payson told him what she knew. Carter and Kaylie had dated secretly for a year, until they briefly broke up at the kegger party the girls had gone to in Sasha's first week at the Rock. Lauren had a crush on Carter, and she lost her virginity to him at the party, but afterwards, Carter just wanted to get Kaylie back. They'd begun dating again, and Carter hadn't told her about sleeping with Lauren. But eventually she'd found out, right before Nationals, and broke off her relationship with Carter, and her friendship with Lauren.

"Jesus Christ," Sasha said angrily. "I can't believe they were all so thoughtless…"

"Remember what you promised!" Payson reminded him nervously.

"Oh, the girls won't be leaving the Rock," he said grimly. "But Carter Anderson is out for good."

"What? Why?"

"Because he is an idiotic teenage boy who broke the hearts of two of my best gymnasts," Sasha replied coolly. "Lauren and Kaylie have lost their friendship because of him. I trust that I can count on you, Payson, to follow the no-dating rule, unlike your friends."

"Of course," Payson assured him. "I'm not interested in boys."

"Is that so? I've seen the way Nicky looks at you."

"Well, I haven't been looking at him," Payson countered indignantly.

Sasha was relieved to hear it, though to his shame, not for any appropriate reason.

"Alright, let's practice that grand jete again."

When his hands drifted to her hips to help her turn out, Payson tried to keep her breathing steady. She'd been telling the truth – she wasn't interested in a boy. She only wanted one unfairly attractive and unattainable man.


End file.
